Axed!
No champagne corks will pop for the 21st anniversary of my SFX
magazine column (in every issue since the June 1995 launch). The next
one, in SFX 274, is my last. Austere overlords counting beans at
Future Publishing HQ have imposed a budget cut, and editor Richard
Edwards can no longer afford what he kindly calls 'star writers and
illustrations'; column illustrator Andy Watt also gets the push.
 Free from the four-weekly SFX deadlines, I'll be turning
more of my backlist into ebooks.
Up Through an Empty House
of Stars: Reviews and Essays 1980-2002 now has its first
digital edition – see ae.ansible.uk.
Also in preparation is a book of the 91 still uncollected SFX
columns – plus extras to make the count up to 100 – all
tentatively titled The Last SFX Visions.

Pintér
Bence cries 'J'accuse!' (though in Hungarian) with a
post at sci-fi.mandiner.hu
stating that almost all translated foreign content in the Hungarian
magazine Galaktika is pirated from such online sources as Clarkesworld,
Lightspeed, Strange Horizons and Tor.com, without
rights-holders' permission and of course without payment. (23
March) [SFS]

Arthur
Krystal explains the literary Catch-22 that has so long
perplexed the tiny minds of genre-lovers: 'Literary work is not a genre.
You can't have bad literary writing in the way that you can have bad
mysteries or bad science fiction, because then it wouldn't be literary.'
(Chronicle of Higher Education, 6 March) [MMW]

Jack
McDevitt officially has a heavenly body: the IAU-approved name
of Asteroid 328305, discovered in 2006, is Jackmcdevitt. [L]

Sharyn
November's senior editorial position at Viking Children's
Books was 'eliminated' in a reorganization. She began at Puffin in 1990
and had been editorial director of Firebird from its 2002 launch.

Future
Chic. 'The 21st-century man will abandon tie, shirt, and
trousers. Instead he will be outfitted in the masculine version of the
one-piece stretch moonsuit for travelling, and will strip down to long
tights and a short toga, reminiscent of the free-swinging styles of the
Roman charioteer.' (Saturday Evening Post, 17 October 1964)
[MMW]

R.I.P.Sir Ken Adam (1921-2016), German-born UK production designer
whose sets included the villain's HQ in Dr No (1962) and the War
Room in Dr Strangelove (1964), died on 10 March aged 95. He
worked on seven Bond films in all, and designed the car for Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang (1968).
 Sylvia Anderson (1927-2016), UK tv/film producer, writer
and voice actress, co-creator with her husband Gerry of the much-loved
Thunderbirds (in which she famously voiced Lady Penelope) and
other sf tv series using their trademark 'Supermarionation' puppets,
died on 15 March; she was 88. [AW]
 Ken Barr (1933-2016), Scotland-born US artist whose
magazine work appeared in Nebula SF, various DC and Marvel
titles, Eerie and Vampirella, and who later painted
hundreds of book covers beginning with Zelazny's The Guns of Avalon
(1974), died on 25 March aged 83. [SQP]
 Howard Berk (1925-2016), US screenwriter and novelist
whose one sf title was The Sun Grows Cold (1971) and who wrote a
few 1969-1972 episodes of Mission: Impossible, died on 27 March
aged 91. [PDF]
 Terry Brain, UK animator who created the children's tv
series The Trap Door (1984, 1986) and worked on Aardman
productions including Chicken Run (2000), The Curse of the
Were-Rabbit (2005) and Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015), died on
25 March; he was 60.
 Tony Burton (1937-2016), US heavyweight boxer turned
character actor seen in The Shining (1980), Exorcism
(2003) and several genre tv series from The Invisible Man (1975)
to Poltergeist: The Legacy (1996), died on 25 February. [MMW]
 Adrienne Corri (1931-2016), UK actress whose genre
credits include A Clockwork Orange (1971), Vampire Circus
(1972) and other horror films, and Doctor Who: 'The Leisure
Hive' (1980) died on 13 March aged 84.
 Richard Davalos (1930-2016), US actor seen in Battle
Beyond the Stars (1980) and Something Wicked This Way Comes
(1983), *died on 18 March aged 85. [PDF]
 Patty Duke (1946-2016), US actress whose genre credits
include The Daydreamer (voice, 1966), She Waits (1972),
The Sixth Sense (1972), Look What's Happened to Rosemary's
Baby (1976), Curse of the Black Widow (1977), The Swarm
(1978) and Grave Secrets: The Legacy of Hilltop Drive (1992),
died on 2 March; she was 69. [PDF]
 Tony Dyson (1947-2016), UK special effects creator who
built eight R2-D2 droid models for the first Star Wars films and
also worked on Moonraker (1979), Altered States (1980),
Superman II (1980) and Dragonslayer (1981), died on or
before 4 March; he was 68. [PDF]
 Earl Hamner, Jr. (1923-2016), US screenwriter/producer
who scripted eight Twilight Zone episodes (1962-1964) and the
film of Charlotte's Web (1973), died on 24 March aged 92. [F770]
 Barry Hines (1939-2016), UK author and screenwriter who
scripted the BAFTA-winning docudrama Threads (1984) –
about a nuclear strike on Sheffield and its aftermath – died on 18
March aged 76. (BBC)
 Ken Howard (1944-2016), US actor with tv credits for
Batman: The Animated Series (voice, 1993), Captain Planet
and the Planeteers (voice, 1994), Ghost Whisperer (2006) and
Eli Stone (2008), died on 23 March aged 71. [MMW]
 Gary Hutzel (1955-2016), multiple Emmy-winning US visual
effects artist whose credits include Star Trek: The Next Generation,
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the rebooted Battlestar
Galactica, died on 3 March aged 60. [PDF]
 Morris Keesan, long-time US fan and active participant
at the File 770 blog, died on 30 March; he was 63. [AIP]
 Justin Leiber (1938-2016), US academic and author
– Fritz Leiber's son – whose work on the philosophy of the
mind was dramatized in his sf novel Beyond Rejection (1980) and
its thematic sequels, died on 22 March; he was 77. [MD]
 Eric Medalle (1973-2016), US Pokémon
artist and designer, died in a storm accident on 13 March when a tree
fell on his car; he was 42.
 Peggy Ranson (1948-2016), Hugo-winning US fan artist who
created small-press book covers and much interior art (including cover
and interiors for George Alec Effinger's Maureen Birnbaum, Barbarian
Swordsperson), died on 19 March aged 67. [GHL]
 Nancy Reagan (1921-2016), former US First Lady and
actress who starred in Donovan's Brain (1953), died on 6 March
aged 94. [PDF]
 Paul Ryan (1949-2016), US comics artist who worked for
Marvel (Spider-Man, Avengers, Iron Man, Fantastic
Four) and DC (Superman, Flash, Batman) and
drew many coloured Sunday instalments of the newspaper-syndicated Phantom
strip, died on 6 March aged 66. [PDF]
 Augie Scotto (1927-2016), US comics artist and
cartoonist who worked for Will Eisner's PS magazine, Marvel
Comics and DC Comics, died on 15 March aged 88. [PDF]
 Garry Shandling (1949-2016), US comedian whose film
credits include What Planet Are You From? (2000) as
writer/producer and Iron Man 2 (2010) and Captain America:
The Winter Soldier (2014) as actor, died on 24 March aged 66. [DL]
 James Sheldon (1920-2016), US director whose genre
credits include episodes of The Twilight Zone (1961-1962), Batman
(1966) and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1967), died on 12 March aged
95. [PDF]
 Pauline Whitby (1928-2015), UK author who wrote as Paul
Ash, Paul Ashwell and Pauline Ashwell – under which name her debut
was the Hugo-shortlisted 'Unwillingly to School' (1958 Astounding)
– died on 23 November 2015. 'The Lost Kafoozalum' (1960 Analog)
was also a Hugo finalist; both form part of her Unwillingly to Earth
(1993).
 Michael White (1936-2016), UK theatre and film producer
whose credits include The Rocky Horror Show (1973 London stage
premiere), Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and The
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), died on 7 March; he was 80. [F770]

As
Others See That Thing of Wonder Woman's. 'What are we to make
of the gender codes in Batman v Superman? Is it confused or certain,
modern or prehistoric? To reach a clear conclusion, I might have to tell
you the end, or at least flesh out my analysis that the lasso in the
final battle is a metaphor for the omnipotent but non-lethal vagina.'
(Zoe Williams, The Guardian, 23 March) [JCo]

Outraged
Letters.Steve Sneyd: 'In upfronting US election
daftitudes in A344,
you exercised extraordinary self-restraint, as a mega Sladekist, in not
pointing out that Trump himself is clearly influenced by sf for his
tentpole policy, viz. John Sladek's "The Great Wall of Mexico"
(1973; reprinted in Keep the Giraffe Burning), a terrifying
prophecy of a Trump presidency!' John's earlier masterstroke of
political satire, in The Müller-Fokker Effect (1970), was
President Ronald Reagan.

The
Weakest Link.Bradley Walsh: 'In Julius Caesar,
which character said "Cry Havoc! and let slip the dogs of war?"'
Contestant: 'Macbeth.' (ITV, The Chase) [PE]

The
Dead Past.50 Years Ago: 'LAFAYETTE RON
HUBBARD and his dear old Sussex based Scientology were cut to
ribbons in a long feature in the 14th February Daily Mail which
pointed out that "Doctor"Hubbard's Ph.D degree was awarded by
the non-existent Sequoia University. In The Times of 8th March
Hubbard ran a 15 guinea advert to renounce his bogus doctorate because
of "the damage being done in our society with nuclear physics and
psychiatry by persons calling themselves 'doctor'." Hey ho.' (Skyrack
87, April 1966)
 40 Years Ago, another strange and powerful cult was
born: 'The Astral Leauge is a new group hoping to promote peace
and understanding should extraterrestials land on Earth. High Priest is
Don West ...' (Checkpoint
68, April 1976)

Harlan
Is Everywhere. On the tortured aspect of the US politician
required to stand mutely behind Donald Trump at the latter's 1 March
press conference and elsewhere: 'Chris Christie has no mouth, but he
must scream.' (Alexandra Petri, Washington Post, 2 March) [LW]

Fanfundery.TAFF 2016 result: Anna Raftery 94 votes (69 Europe/25 NA), Wolf
von Witting 82 (56/26), No Preference 14 (4/10); 190 ballots cast. Anna
Raftery wins and travels to MidAmeriCon II in August. Details and
newsletter at taff.org.uk.
 DUFF 2016. The race from Australasia to MidAmeriCon has
only one candidate, Clare McDonald-Sims:
ozfanfunds.com/duff/DUFF_onlineballot2016.html.
Deadline 16 May.
 GUFF: another trip report! Gillian Polack's Gillian's
Book of Lists (2014 trip) can now be bought online: see
taff.org.uk/guff.html for
the link.
 Fan Funds Auction Bonanza: £866 was raised at
Mancunicon, to be split equally between TAFF and GUFF. A further $700A
was raised at the Australian Natcon in Brisbane, mostly for GUFF.

Group
Gropes.A2Z SF Group meets on the third Thursday each
month at The United Brethren Pub, New Writtle Street, Chelmsford, Essex,
CM2 0LF. 8pm onward. 'All SF fans welcome.'

Thog's
Masterclass.Out of Context Dept. 'But
when she took the warm shaft in her hands, she found that she did
not know how to call upon its strength.' (Stephen Donaldson, The
Runes of the Earth, 2004) [JaC]
 Dept of Musical Quakes. '... for several minutes he went
on quaking and hyperventilating. He sounded like a Brazilian musical
instrument.' (Jean-Patrick Manchette, 3 to Kill, 1976; trans
Donald Nicholson-Smith 2002) [PB]
 Eyeballs in the Sky. 'Her eyes have the puckered sheen
of day-old ripe olives.' Perhaps this is why '... fifty percent of his
eye contact is below her collar bone.' (Ed Bryant, 'Their Thousandth
Season', Clarion II, 1972) [BA]
 Back of an Envelope Dept. Scientist: '... we will start
the rocket off [from Earth] at a moderate speed.' Reporter:
'What do you consider a moderate speed?' Scientist, twinkling: 'Oh,
perhaps two miles a second.' Reporter, after rapid calculation: 'Then
the rocket will reach the moon in about thirty-five seconds, Doctor?'
(John Blaine, The Rocket's Shadow, 1947) [RR]

BSFA
London Meeting. As we go to press, the April event date
remains unconfirmed: the normal fourth Wednesday, 27 April, clashes with
the opening ceremony of Sci-Fi London and the Clarke shortlist
announcement. Other expected details: Artillery Arms, 102 Bunhill Row,
London, EC1Y 8ND. 5/6pm for 7pm. With Tessa Farmer. Free. Keep watching
the skies at: http://www.bsfa.co.uk/ http://news.ansible.uk/london.html
Later: Dave Lally informs me that this meeting will be on
20 April 2016, venue and guest as above.

Still later, 19 April 2016: Cancelled at short notice owing
to illness.

Thog's
Second Helping.Pathetic Fallacy Dept. 'Billions of
stars looked down on me like the eyes of cold and disapproving nuns at
the world's worst Catholic school.' (Allison M. Dickson, Colt
Coltrane and the Lotus Killer, 2013) [WM]